16 standouts selected
for consideration of college baseball's top honor

NCBWA NAMES 2008
DICK
HOWSER TROPHY SEMIFINALISTS

DALLAS (NCBWA) – The National Collegiate Baseball Writers
Association, working in conjunction with the St. Petersburg
Area Chamber of Commerce, has released the list of 16 semifinalists
for the 2007 Dick Howser Trophy, given to the top player
in collegiate baseball.

The
membership of the NCBWA will choose the Dick Howser Trophy based
on three rounds of voting. The 2007 winner will be announced just
prior to the first game of the College World Series, with a press
conference slated for Saturday, June 14, at 10 a.m. (CDT) at the
Greater Omaha
Chamber of Commerce.

The 16 candidates hail from nine different conferences, with
the SEC producing four and the Pac-10 listing three. Arizona
State and Kentucky are the only schools with multiple
semifinalists. Eight different positions are represented on the
list, including five pitchers, three outfielders and two first
basemen.

2008 DICK HOSWER TROPHY SEMIFINALISTS

SS
Gordon Beckham, Georgia

P
Shooter Hunt, Tulane

P George
Brown, St. John's

P Brian
Matusz, San Diego

OF
Sawyer Carroll, Kentucky

C Buster
Posey, Florida State

1B David
Cooper, California

OF Chris
Shehan, Georgia Southern

OF
Collin Cowgill, Kentucky

1B
Justin Smoak, South Carolina

P Aaron
Crow, Missouri

P
Stephen Strasburg, San Diego State

UT Ike
Davis, Arizona State

3B Brett
Wallace, Arizona State

P Johnny
Dorn, Nebraska

2B
Jemile Weeks Miami

The Dick Howser Trophy, given in memory of the former Florida
State University All-America shortstop and major league player and
manager who died of brain cancer in 1987, is regarded by many as
college baseball's most prestigious award.

Criteria for consideration for the trophy include performance
on the field, leadership, moral character and courage, qualities
that were exemplified by Dick Howser's life.

A Florida native, Howser was twice an All-America shortstop at
Florida State University (1957-58), then coached the Seminoles in
1979 after a career as a major league player and coach. After one
year in the college ranks, Howser returned to the majors to manage
the New York Yankees and Kansas City Royals and won the World Series
with the Royals in 1985. The baseball stadium on the Florida State
campus is named for Howser.

The winner's name is inscribed on the permanent trophy, a bronze
bust of Howser displayed at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg -
home of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and the 1999 NCAA Men's Basketball
Final Four – along with several other locations. Both the winner
and his school receive a special trophy to keep.

The St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce is in its 109th year
of existence in 2008. The organization has long been a vital force
in the baseball affairs of the city, both in spring training and
during the pursuit of a major league baseball franchise for the
Tampa Bay-St. Petersburg area and continues its solid role in the
21st century.

NCBWA membership includes writers, broadcasters and publicists.
Designed to promote and publicize college baseball, it is the sport's
only college media-related organization, founded in 1962.